His Master: Devil's Advocate
by Aservis Roturier
Summary: A contract completed, a soul rendered up as payment. Yet sometimes even the smoothest of plans fail due to outside interference.
1. Chapter 1

I

The End

The smoothly gliding gondola suddenly jerked, then wallowed back and forth: they had arrived. Wherever it was they'd been punting to in this strange, otherworldly sea of memories, Ciel's very own memories, the ride was over now. Ciel looked over the side to watch the last of the scenes sink and fade, both the cherished and the painful, for better or worse they were gone now. Not even the shinigami would have them. And when those who remembered him were themselves no longer remembered, he would truly disappear, without trace.

Except perhaps, in the long memory of the being he was now intently watching.

Sebastian was steadying the boat, reaching out a hand to help him up the unexpectedly steep, rocky bank. As Ciel gained the close cropped lawn, the demon extended his other (newly reacquired) hand and placed it in the middle of the boy's back to further steady him. By habit Ciel drew breath to object, but then he caught the demon's eye, remembered, smiled and let it go. He needed to remember: he belonged to Sebastian now. He felt reasonably confident the demon would preserve his dignity without him needing to loudly demand it. Such needlessly difficult behaviour really ought to be a thing of the past for him now. He was no longer the master of his own fate.

"It's a fair walk from here, Young Master, would you care for a lift?" Sebastian smiled and extended his arms to the boy, still marvelling at the Ciel's continued rock-steady willingness and flinty determination to pay his demon what was owed. There would never be another like Ciel Phantomhive and Sebastian counted himself luckiest of lucky devils to have had the privilege of walking beside him for a time.

The boy looked at the demon's extended arms and shook his head. "It isn't necessary, Sebastian. I can walk."

"I know you can, but I would also enjoy carrying you. If you have no objection, that is."

"I always felt like a burden when you did this," the boy said, already speaking of himself in the past tense, as the demon lightly hoisted his little master up into his arms, settling him gently against his chest.

"Never. You should have asked me. I would've happily disabused you of such a foolish idea."

The boy looked about him. "It's an interesting looking place, this. Does it have a name, a purpose? Is it even real? There's something about it that feels..."

"It _is_ real enough, though not a part of your world, which may account for it having a somewhat different, 'off' feel to you," the demon explained as he began walking toward the edge of the tall, dark trees. "It does have a purpose, though. It is one of many demon havens, though a small one and therefore one not often frequented—which is part of why I like it, I suppose, but also, there are ruins here I think the Young Master might like to see. They somewhat resemble a ruined abbey or cathedral. Attractive in a romantic, though not particularly practical way, but you have enjoyed visiting similar sites in your own world from time to time, so I thought you might be pleased by it."

"You're taking me to look at 'romantic ruins'? And here I thought we came to fatten up a demon."

The demon chuckled. "That too, but all in good time. There is no particular reason your last day should be rushed, or unpleasant, or stressful, now is there?"

"I suppose not."

" So then, let us take our time. Both our worlds are behind us, our names shed, our responsibilities ended—"

"Save one,"

"Not forgetting the one, but other than the one, may we not simply enjoy this little interlude, you and I?"

The boy snorted. "And I thought you were hungry."

"One may hungry for different things, Master. I'm confident I will receive my due from you. But in truth, Ciel, we went to work together so fast and so hard from the moment we set foot on the grounds of Phantomhive manor, struggling to educate one another in our respective roles—" the demon let go a great sigh and looked away for a moment before beginning again. "Do you know when I first laid eyes on you, I was _certain_ I'd be back in my own nest in less than a fortnight? Hah! If _that_ long!"

"Really?" Ciel's eyes lit up and he covered his mouth to muffle the giggle threatening to burst out of him at the demon's words. A giggle: when was the last time he'd laughed like this? It pleased him enormously to think he might have worked the demon harder than anyone ever had, and Sebastian knew Ciel well enough to know it would, and was pleased to be able to give the boy that happiness.

"I've served _kings_ I didn't work _half_ that hard for! For a while there, I was starting to suspect some other demon was playing some elaborate prank on me and you must be some _imp_ in disguise trying to drive me _mad_!"

"Stop, you're making my stomach hurt!" begged the giggling boy."I was so miserable, sore and filthy and hungry and just...just _angry_, and you were _so_ intent on impressing me, god we were terrible back then, the both of us."

"I thought seriously about drowning you in your own damned bathtub, just to force you to show your horns, you unrepentant little monster," the demon smirked, watching the boy convulsing with laughter. "Be thankful I didn't follow through on _that_ impulse."

"Indeed! No soul for you, you big brute!" They laughed quite a long time together, remembering those first few days and how rough they'd been. "I remember how furious you were with me that night. All things considered, I really have to praise you for your self-control, Sebastian. It is a wonder you _didn't_ drown me—or worse." Ciel was thinking of that first cup of warm milk with honey that Sebastian brought him to make up for his disastrous first attempt at providing him a meal. That first warm honeyed milk- first of many-it was a wonder Sebastian hadn't magicked himself a bottle of laudanum and dumped a whole thing in it.

"Thank you my Lord. So. I trust you will understand why I have no desire to hurry. I no longer have a mansion to manage, nor idiots—servants, that is, to wrangle and it would be pleasant to simply 'be'." He grinned darkly and slid his eyes sideways to see if the boy was amused by his deliberate slip regarding the servants. He decided he quite liked making his little lord laugh.

Ciel closed his eyes and grinned, though there was something a little wistful in his expression. "I do. We really didn't have much leisure to sit and talk, or get to know one another—well, you _had_ to learn about me but you had to do it on the fly—good thing it was a short book! You on the other hand were hardly very forthcoming about yourself and far too intimidating to ask."

Sebastian barked out a short hard laugh. "I didn't think you were intimidated by anything, my Lord."

"Well. You don't know your own power then—though I seriously doubt the truth of that statement! But I'd rather not think too hard about the manor or about those I left behind in it. Life goes on, I know, and people adjust, but still it's a little painful thinking of them getting on with life without you."

"Is it?" the demon asked, genuinely curious. Of course no human would've asked such a question. Another human would have understood without needing an explanation.

"Mm. Not for you, most likely," the boy expanded, "they're not your kind really, and even your own kind do not seem to form very close bonds from what I've seen and what you've told me,"

"Quite true."

"I doubt you would feel the attachment to them I do. Even though we weren't close and didn't have much in common besides running and protecting the manor together, I will miss them, and even though you cleaned like a demon on your last day—heh, what am I saying 'cleaned like a demon...'

"I knew what you meant, master," the actual demon smiled, quite broadly for once, letting some of his less human features show for his curious little master. He knew the boy would not be put off.

"Even though you cleaned _extremely_ _thoroughly_ yesterday, I'm certain you left the place and those in itbehind without a pang."

"Well, perhaps a small pang, but not over the people. I was surprisingly content there despite 'certain aspects' of the place." Sebastian glanced up at the tall dark trees as he began to walk into the very dense forest inhabiting a large part of the island. "But you see I have here in my arms the very best of the place, so I'm not suffering too much."

"You know you won't need those gloves now. You should take them off."

"Do you dislike my gloves, my lord?" he said as he tugged them off with teeth to the fingertips. The boy caught them as they came free and tucked them into the butler's breast pocket.

"I didn't so much dislike them as miss seeing your hands. You have really beautiful hands as I'm sure you know. I've always been jealous of them," Ciel confided wiggling his own rather stubby little fingers in the air. "I was always sorry that sigil ended up on the back of your hand so you had to hide them all the time."

"I still would've hidden them for the sake of the nails, though."

"Oh, we could've come up with some explanation for that...could've told them you were a native f the Amazon basin, a South American."

"Why South American of all things?"the demon asked after he stopped howling with laughter.

"Well, how many South Americans have they seen in England? How many have you seen even? Who knows but that they have faces on their bellies and feet coming out the top of their heads? Why not black nails?"

"Fair enough. Might have worked if you told it with that bold face of yours."

"Remember it for your next contract then. Might come in handy." The boy smiled. Impulsively, the demon leaned forward and placed a quick kiss on the boy's temple.

Ciel stared back, his face carefully blank. "And what was that for?"

"Just because, Ciel Phantomhive."

"Because?"

"Because I wanted to. Is that not reason enough?"

Bemused and feeling tired, the boy let his head rest on the butler's shoulder. "I suppose. Anyway too late to take it back now."

"Indeed." The demon agreed. "Tired?"

" I am, a bit. Don't know why."

The butler advanced no theories. "Perhaps I should be quiet and let you rest."

Again the boy snorted. "For what, so I'll be bright and ready to face the 'morrow?" The boy looked up and thought he saw the tail end of a frown go slipping off the butler's face. "Don't stop talking, Sebastian. I like listening to you talk. How far is it to these 'romantic ruins' of yours?"

"Oh, a mile or so now. Not in a hurry, are you?"

"Not if I get to talk to you."

"Would you care to stop and take a break? We could sit a while and listen to the wind in the treetops... it's generally quite soft and dry underneath these trees, though a bit chilly. Evergreens put down quite a thick bed of needles after a few decades. They can make quite comfortable seating, even a soft and comfortable bed if need be."

"I suppose it might be nice to stop and sit a bit. If you don't mind." The boy begins chuckling as the butler swings him down and steadies him until he gains his feet on the soft needles. "Though I cannot quite picture the prim and fussy Sebastian Michaelis sleeping rough on a bed of pine needles."

"Ah but that is the interesting thing about being what I am. I was not always the fussy Mister Michaelis, and you must take into consideration that so long a life allows for all sorts of different conditions and experiences. Mercenaries, cutpurses, highwaymen all have need of sleeping rough on occasion and I have been all of those at one time or another."

"But how often were you ugly, that's what I want to know."

"Very rarely," he replied with a strangely strained voice.

"And only when tied to the very vain, I'll wager."

"A wise wager indeed."

"I'll bet you were thoroughly miserable being ugly," the boy teased.

"They were very short contracts I can tell you," the demon sniffed haughtily.

"Bet you gobbled 'em up early, didn't you."

"...perhaps. One of them anyway."

"Wasn't an ancestor of Druitt by any chance?"

"Puh. Acted like it but no."

"You never did tell me how far back you go or how old you are. You've always acted as if you thought I'd have a come-apart if I knew your real age."

"Oh Ciel, if I _ever_ thought that—which I seriously doubt!— I know better now," the demon laughed. "I feel certain I could introduce you to the Four Horsemen of the Apocalypse and before the evening was over you'd have beaten them all at chess, learned to call them all by their nicknames, and relieved them of their ready cash AND their horses after a couple of scorching rounds of whist!"

"In which case I could have myself a coach and four! Though nobody but you could probably drive the thing. Think you could handle a four-in-hand?"

"Seriously Ciel? Who do you think invented it?"

"Of course...got any demon buddies you could induce to come be footmen?"

"Do you have any souls stockpiled I don't know about?"

"Hmm, well there's..."

"Would we still need..."

"They never were much..."

"But who could possibly want..."

"No one you'd ever want as footme-"

Then both arrived at the same thought simultaneously:

"The Four Horsemen!"

"They're out of work anyway."

"Well you took their horses; of course they're out of work."

"Difficult to be a horseman without one."

"Quite."

"Only fair, I suppose."

"Though I don't think 'Death following after' is likely to make a very presentable footman."

"But I'd never be bothered by highwaymen!"

"Perhaps we could get Undertaker to come be a footman as well. I wonder if I've got enough jokes..."

"How old did you say you were? Ass. You've got enough jokes. You've probably got hunting jokes that Nimrod told you!"

"He'd probably jump at the chance to hobnob with Death."

"He'd pay you."

"Lots to talk about, those two. Gog's gonads! What a pair they'd make hanging off the back of the boot!" At which point they both dissolved into howls of laughter which, had anyone overheard them or seen them clinging to one another, holding each other up, they'd have surely suspected them both of partaking a little too freely of something with one hell of a kick and having hidden the empties down in the pine needles.

"Ah Sebastian, I wish I'd taken time to do this kind of thing more often."

"What, go sightseeing at demon sanctuaries?"

Ciel backhanded him in the gut as hard as he could, knowing it wouldn't do more than make him hiccup. "No, ass. Take time out to sneak away and be alone with you."

"My Lord!"

"To talk, you filthy creature! Get your mind out of the gutter."

"Alas my Lord, In all honesty it isn't suited for anything else."

"In that case I must say you do remarkably well masquerading as a decent fellow. I applaud your _monumental_ acting abilities."

The demon stood and bowed. "You are too kind, my Lord. "

Ciel gave a crooked little smile that still looked sad somehow. "Not really your lord any more, Sebastian."

"Yet I may still honour you as such, may I not?. Alas that I must disagree with you about you getting away like this. Even as late as yesterday, had I tried to tempt you into even a short walk in your own woods I daresay I wouldn't have been able to get you to do it, not even if I told you I'd hidden a coach full of chocolate gateau out there."

"Maybe for _your_ chocolate gateau," The boy said, but then heaved a sigh. "You're right, of course. I ... just didn't know what I'd been missing." They fell silent then, both leaning on the same tree trunk, shoulders resting side by side, listening to the otherworldly silence. The only sound other than the steady rise and fall of the breeze high in the treetops was the single croak of a crow or raven, unseen (by Ciel at least) up in the branches of a nearby tree. Ciel looked up toward the sound.

"Friend of yours?"

"Mmm," the demon responded.

"Probably wonders what's taking us so long. Tell 'im we're busy. We'll be along before too much longer." The boy didn't stare, but he could see in his peripheral vision Sebastian shoot a furious red glare at the bird who then took off like a stone from a slingshot. "You didn't have to threaten him."

"Unfortunately where I'm from that's the only language that's generally understood."

Ciel turned to look at his butler. "You don't sound like you care for it much where you come from."

"It's hardly intended to be a pleasant place, even for those of us who call it home."

"Not looking forward to going back?"

"Earth is quite pleasant, but we are somewhat limited in needing legitimate reasons for being here, otherwise Hell would be deserted and earth a much less pleasant and far more violent place."

"I worried about you being hungry. Now I feel badly our time together wasn't longer."

"You needn't worry about me Ciel. I've managed this life...well, comfortably enough, for quite a long time now. It's just...the transitions between are a bit rough to handle sometimes."

Neither spoke for a little while.

"You were about to tell me just how long you've been managing those transitions and I somehow derailed you—or you distracted me. Tell me."

"Well, let me think..." he looked up and blew out his cheeks, trying to pull a name from his memory that would mean something to the boy. Empires, kingdoms, borders and place names constantly changing as they did over millennia didn't make it any easier. "...I can remember when Rome belonged to the Etruscans and the Romans were just a scruffy tribe of roving ruffians without a city. Vaguely."

"Hmph. Makes you positively hoary doesn't it," the boy teased. The demon smiled a lopsided little smirk, glad he hadn't dug back any further. "So what will you do when you get home—I suppose you do call it 'home'?"

"I do. I will probably go see if my own mansion still stands—always a valid question in such a neighbourhood, and if it is, go in and kick the scaly arses of whatever lowlifes have been infesting it in my absence. Then, after a thorough sterilisation—with fire most likely— I shall probably curl up and try and sleep away a few decades or so. Boring as hell, Hell is." They both chuckled at that even though privately the demon was thinking it might feel good to just keep on sleeping.

Then Sebastian extended an arm, inviting the young earl to come close. The boy stood and came to him readily enough. The demon wrapped an arm around the boy and gave him a squeeze.

"Sometimes Ciel, one is better off never discovering how much one is going to miss someone...makes everything _so_ much more difficult."

"You make me glad I won't know anything."

"But I _will_," the demon said with a suspiciously congested-sounding snort. "I suppose we ought to be getting on."

"Alright. Carry me again?"

"There's no way I'd let you walk," the demon declared, gathering the boy up and holding him close for a moment, long fingers slipping through the ashen hair. "Ready?"

The young earl nodded. Somewhere high in the sky overhead they heard a croaking raven's cry. They started walking.

The opening in the trees appeared far sooner than Ciel expected. Sebastian had been right, it was a rather intriguing spot, alien-looking vines and flowers climbing up columns that held up nothing and clambering over tumbled down stonework, great blocks of stone and still half standing walls here and there along what might have been an outside wall. It really did resemble an English abbey or cathedral—what an odd thing to find on an island used strictly by demons. Maybe it was like an English folly, a faux ruin added to an estate's grounds purely for the effect, to improve the view. Or maybe it was a nod to the most sacred thing demons knew: a place meant strictly for the taking of souls in peace and privacy. Either way it was a pleasant spot to spend his last moments with Sebastian. The demon put him down on what looked like a stone pew and knelt down in front of him.

"I really should've taken this off you earlier. I'm sorry it hurt you as much as it did, but I always enjoyed seeing this mark on you, my mark, and where you chose to put it—"

"Well we sort of chose that together, Sebastian."

"You're right of course. Like most things we did, we did them together."

"We did. I liked it that way. We'll do this together too."

"Yes my lord," the demon said giving the boy his deepest bow, hand on his heart.

"It will hurt, I suppose."

"It will, but I can make an effort to be gentle and—"

"That doesn't seem right somehow. My life's been nothing but pain, ever since we made our pact—not that it was your doing, well not most of it," the boy smiled, "but painful it was. Stabbed and shot, kicked and ...I don't know what else, so many painful things, I've lost track. It wouldn't seem right to leave any other way. So don't be shy, Sebastian, I know how you feel about others' pain. Make it hurt, make it mean something."

The demon nodded silently and drew nearer, brushing the heavy bangs out of the boy's eyes. He wouldn't tell him but it would hurt enough without adding to it and for once in his infernal career he regretted that fact and meant to do it with as little pain as possible, regardless of what the boy had said.

He watched the translucent, lavender-tinted lids slip down over those glorious eyes one last time before he took hold of the boy's head and pressed his own lips to Ciel's, opening them together gently, almost like a lover, and prepared to take his payment.

And then the world went white.


	2. Chapter 2

White.

Blinding, eye-watering, glaring white. Ciel was completely bewildered, completely blinded. What had happened?

Ciel tried everything he could think of to see, he shaded his eyes with both hands, changed direction, hoping it might be less blinding if he looked another way, he squinted and sneaked his lids open just a fraction, hoping that might render it a bit less overwhelming, but nothing worked. He might as well have been stricken blind. It was a nightmare.

He could hear at least, but what he heard was hardly encouraging. He wasn't alone in the glare. He could hear people moving about , felt a sense, a pressure of whole crowds of people milling about nearby and very nearby was the sound of someone struggling.

Someone was thrashing against something or someone else, grappling sng possibly being struck and definitely falling hard or being forced down to the ground—or possibly the floor depending on where this was. It wasn't until he heard the grunting and cursing gasps of pain and then the wail and the keening whimper of someone making an ultimate effort against some power far too great for them, using the very last shred of their strength to—something, free themselves? Resist?-and keening wail bursting from their lips as the realisation hits not even this will avail, they are doomed to failure, that he recognised the voice the one struggling near him.

The failing, keening voice was Sebastian's, and that realisation terrified him.

"Sebastian? Sebastian, are you there?"

Ciel tried to think back. He remembered Sebastian sitting him down on a stone bench, their speaking a few words together and then Sebastian sealing his lips against his. He'd expected pain but the pain had not happened. Instead somehow this blinding white had happenedppened. What was going on?

"Sebastian! Can you hear me?"

Ciel remembered thinking about his reaction to Sebastian's kiss. As he waited for the pain to hit he could hardly miss the fact that he was finding the 'kiss,' Sebastian's touch preparatory to taking his soul, quite pleasant, even a bit exciting. He surprised himself, never thinking himself the sort of person who found other men attractive. Well he didn't find men attractive, did he? It was Sebastian he was responding to, not 'men'. Sebastian hardly counted as a man since he wasn't one and Ciel never remembered himself noticing anyone else that way before. So he remembered thinking about how soft and thrilling it was to have the demon's lips on his own and how he was sorry his time was up, that he'd have liked to explore this feeling further when The White happened.

Suddenly a voice from nearby rang out eerily echoing, sounding hardly human.

"Help him," said the voice. "There is so much darkness infesting him he cannot even open his eyes."

Someone approached him then and gently touched his head and hair, then petted his cheek and brushed his heavy bangs away from his eyes.

"Oh," this new, second voice murmured, and the hand gently ghosted up the side of his face again and over his contract eye—and that was when he heard Sebastian shriek an inhuman sound that flew up and surely cracked the heavens.

"Nooo," the boy heard him moaning hopelessly, his voice coming from quite low compared to where the boy stood. His butler was on the ground and crying in pain—someone was going to pay for this.

"Sebastian, damn it! Answer me! What are they doing to you?!" he cried feeling furious and helpless. Then he too felt it: as though someone were piercing his eye with an awl, carving it out with a dull spoon: ungodly, unbearable pain, pain even worse than what he'd expected from Sebastian's kiss, and his voice joined the demon's in wailing out their horror and distress. What was happening? Who was doing these things to them?

"Sebastian, answer me!"

"I am... alright, little master. Please," the demon's words stumbled pathetically giving the lie to every word he uttered. "Please do not waste... your concern on me, my Lord."

Even though Ciel couldn't see he could hear, and what he had just heard was proof they no longer had a contract. These heartless creatures living in the impossible white had somehow torn it from them and Sebastian's stumbling words had just confirmed it: Sebastian had just _lied_, a great, whopping, flat-out _obvious_ falsehood.

The demon's voice sounded dreadful. The boy again tried opening his eyes, frantic to know what had happened to his demon. He did fractionally better this time, but the scene his eyes were able to make out made him want to cry: everything was still blindingly bright and unbearable save one persistent patch of black sprawled out on the ground: Sebastian.

The demon looked as though a football team had been kicking him around in the dust, using him for a football. He was torn and twisted, battered, flattened and cowed. He was being pinioned by two large, solid-looking vaguely man-shaped somethings who did not permit him to rise or remove his face from the ground.

"I am so sorry you were tangled up in this, Master. I don't understand why this is happening."

Such a startling confession from the lips of the Phantomhive butler: Ciel tried to remember the last time Sebastian had ever confessed to being utterly lost and in the dark as to the present proceedings. Ciel saw him raise his face to attempt to say more to him, but he was forcibly shoved flat again, surrounded by creatures who were so intensely reflective, even the butler's demonic eyes, fully capable of looking at the sun, could not look on them without pain.

Ciel was infuriated past all endurance. This...this was blasphemy. Well, not strictly blasphemy perhaps, but a violation of all that the young earl held sacred.

"They took away your symbol, Sebastian," the boy said, cupping his eye, a distinct quaver in his voice. Sebastian had never seen him so distraught. The boy broke away from those flanking him and came to join him on his knees flinging his arms around the dark man's neck. "I don't know why, but they took it away!"

I know young Master, I can both see it _and_ feel the lack of it." Sebastian was humbled to see those two huge blue eyes looking at him with so much affection and bottomless grief. _How could he possibly feel this way? I was seconds from ending his life and painfully ripping his soul from his body, my lips on his lips, my tongue on his—by all that's hell-born they were sweet, so sweet, the sweetest lips I have ever pressed against. I wish he had lived until he was old enough to want to press them against mine for a different reason..._

"This isn't fair!" the boy stood again, arms straight at his sides ending in trembling fists, his face, eyes closed but senses all aimed directly at that voice who'd started it all, the one who had said 'help him.' "I don't know who you all are and I don't care either. All I care is you are violating my rights and his as well" he pointed to Sebastian, "and I _demand_ you _stop_ _this_!" Then he turned back to Sebastian again and touched him, opening his eyes a little to take in the comforting fact that his demon was still alive and so was he and perhaps there was some way or chance they could still survive this together—whatever it was about.

"Listen to me Sebastian: I'm not officially your master any longer I am your friend and if necessary, your defender—Don't worry: I _will_ _not_ let them rob you. They can apparently rob us of our connexion but they cannot rip away our loyalty to one another. "

"No, little Master, nor will they." He vowed and meant every word, though his captor grabbed him by the back of the neck and rammed his head down on the ground again for his words and spat on him.

"Filth..." he muttered softly, but the demon heard him plain enough.

"You're the filth here," Ciel barked Sebastian's abuser, incensed. "I hope you don't imagine yourself superior to a demon when you're torturing and humiliating a foe who's already yielded to you, do you?" The child couldn't see the culprit but he could direct his most virulent sneer at the voice, and he did so, putting his heart and soul into it.

"Demon." The first voice, the one that echoed so oddly was speaking. "A charge has been brought against you. A claim that you, the one now named Sebastian Michaelis, have dealt unfairly with this young man."

"Let go of me, you presumptuous—" Ciel was twisting out of the grip of one of his shining 'bodyguards' using moves Sebastian himself had taught him for breaking out of the grip of anyone whom Ciel wished to escape. It put a tiny smile on the demon's face in spite of their situation. "_let...let_ **_go_**!"

"Master. Do not inflame them with your words, they will only treat me worse the worse you rage. I know you have the strength of personality to rise superior to their intemperance."

Those words instantly calmed the boy at least to where his rage turned icy. He jerked his arm from his escort. "Do _not_ presume you have the right to touch me so easily," he spat.

_Just like the young cat he so resembles,_ the demon thought with pride. _My young master_, he marvelled, _intimidated by no one_.

"Do you dare to impugn the motives of a _divine_ _messenger_?!" the man stepped back, aghast.

"Is _that_ what you're supposed to be? _Puh_! If he intrudes on my business and arrogantly starts rearranging my life all unasked without regard to my desires, or asking what I want, YES! **YES!** You bet your fucking halo I do!" Ciel raged against the man who stood beside him who blanched at his crude language and mocking words. All around him the assembly moaned and murmured, covering their ears and giving him pitying and disapproving looks. Truly, the man had only been attempting to gently support him by his arm and steady him, but the teenager would clearly rather be crawling in the dirt than have anyone but his demon touch his person.

"Impugn your motives? You go pose that question to _Ash_—or Angela, whatever he's calling himself today."

"Fair enough, young one. I know of the abomination that is Ash/Angela, and that your experience of my kind has been far from favourable. I understand your feelings. But please understand, I merely wished to escort you over there to a group of those who would stand by you and protect you from this Resister who accompanied you here, the one who bound you."

"You're talking about Sebastian?!"

"Yes. Slanderer, Resister, Manslayer and Liar is what the devil is, all devils, this one included, and what we desire is to protec—"

"Shut up and listen to me."

"Master,"

"That's exactly what I _DO_ _NOT_ want you to _do_! You will NOT forcibly remove me from where I _belong_, I will NOT permit it, do you understand me?! I know the truth of these things, not you, and I will not permit you to carry out this injustice! I am Ciel Phantomhive! I am the Queen's Watchdog!"

"Oh child, such titles mean nothing here—"

"Master please."

"Sebastian shut it. Let me handle—NO! Stop it! Let me _talk_. What those titles you so lightly dismiss _mean_ is I have lived my life in _honour_! I worked, I did a _man's_ job pursuing justice for those too weak to seek it for themselves, thanks to _his_ _power_," he pointed to Sebastian again, "Power he lent me _under_ _our_ _legitimate_ _contract_, agreed on by _both_ parties _with_ _full_ _knowledge_. I fought for justice when I was alive. I know an injustice when I smell it, and let me tell you, this whole business reeks of it!"

The man escorting him turned to another sitting behind something resembling a desk. "What should I do? He ... he fights me!"

"Explain it to him," said the voice which seemed in charge.

"Child, I am sorry, but you have been deluded and we are simply trying to—"

"No. YOU are the one misled and operating under misinformation. I know precisely what I am doing: to begin with, you clearly know nothing of me, nothing at all! I am NO child! Nor am I deluded –not in the least! Is there **_any_**_ sense of justice in this place __at__all__?!" _he cried, waving his arms wide to encompass all the white and seemingly endless expanse that surrounded them. "If this is a court of justice then you will HEAR me and hear HIS words as well. Let us speak and we will _prove _it to you: you have _no_ _place_ in this business. It is between me and Sebastian, d'you hear?! He and I alone!"

"Very well. We will hear you."


	3. Chapter 3

IV

The Trial

"First I want to establish a few things"the boy daid, shielding his eyes, "make sure I understand: You. The one speaking, you are a created being?"

"Of course. As we all are. Him over there behind you as well."

" And we are all given free will?"

"Certainly. Without free will there can be no love and Love is paramount, so there must be free will."

"Sebastian as well?"

"Yes, your 'Sebastian' as well."

A strange look came over the boy's face and he started pacing like a barrister in a court. "Just out of curiosity, are you saying every creature with free will is capable of feeling and expressing love?"

"Well, of course, but I fail to..."

"Just a side point, something I was curious about. Just ignore it . To return to the point, did you make Sebastian what he is?"

No. In fact—and I am speaking for the One who made all—I made him a perfect being. He exercised _his_ free will in choosing to descend to earth and you humans recreating himself into his current form: a parasite on humanity."

"I cannot speak for others of his kind nor address what he chose to do in the past when he left you or what he did with others with whom he contracted in the past, but I must totally disagree with your description in the case of our pact: with me at least, he acted as no parasite."

"Child, you can hardly argue away what he is!"

"Nor do I mean to-and stop calling me a child! The definition of a parasite is a creature who attaches itself to a host against the will of that host and then proceeds to draw sustenance from the same _while contributing nothing in return_. That _in no way_ describes our relationship! This demon sold me a service —his skills, his intellect and strength, his wits, his experience—his very flesh and blood!"

"False flesh and counterfeit blood, young one."

"What difference does _that_ make? It's still his flesh and his blood while he inhabits it is, it not? Still hurts when it is abused does it not? I fail to see your point."

"Fine, fine, perhaps you are right. Please proceed."

"Insensitive feathered twat..." the boy muttered under his breath. "I cannot _tell_ you the number of times he was physically torn apart for me, to protect me!"

"To protect your _soul_, little one."

"Yes yes which was _his_ _job_! Exactly what I _hired_ him to do! And at any time, when he was being battered beaten, tortured, tossed around like a dead cat, LIMBS torn off and... AND IM-BLOODY-PALED! SHOT TO BLOODY PIECES for me!—and don't you _dare_ try telling me he didn't feel any of that just because it wasn't his real flesh. _I was there_! I _saw_ the suffering in his eyes!"

Here the boy's voice broke as he momentarily flashed back on the sight of Sebastian impaled on the Undertaker's mighty scythe, grinding his teeth, reaching _through_ the pain, still trying hard to catch him before he fell. He re-lived the naked grief and despair he saw in the demon's eyes as his fingers strained to reach him. Then he remembered Sebastian's body crumpled on the ballroom floor, the first time the boy had ever seen him actually unconscious, or even seen his eyes closed!—he hadn't thought it possible: his Sebastian, still as death, blood spilling from that impossible hole in his body, gouts of red welling up, trembling with the demon's heartbeats as it pumped it uselessly out of his mouth, spilling out over the perfect lips, sharp chin and shapely neck to saturate the crisp shirt collar beneath, so beautifully white, so sharply starched... the boy shuddered and glanced over at Sebastian now. He'd been sure he was going to lose the demon then, too. He couldn't bear to go through that again...

The ones who had been restraining the demon, forcing his head down in the presence of the radiant court, had taken their hands away and taken a step back. Out of respect, perhaps? He dared to hope so— and allowed the tall, lean demon to straighten up and lock eyes with the boy. His boy, for there was no doubt where the young man's loyalties lay.

They stared hungrily, the demon and his boy, and Ciel was startled at what he saw. There were... emotions in those wine-red depths he'd never dreamed of seeing. Sebastian's face was flushed and damp but also more open than he ever remembered seeing it. He was breathing hard and his eyes were strangely glassy too, but also pulsing softly with that otherworldly glow they sometimes gave off when the demon was excited or profoundly moved.

_Sebastian_...

Shaken, Ciel attempted to continue speaking but he suddenly found he had to struggle to find his voice When he found it, it was dripping with pride for his demon.

"Sebastian's tough, yes, doughty, yes. Stoic, yes. And he's far too proud for his own damned good, exactly like his foolish master—" and he rounded on the blinding court before him and snarled with all the passion he possessed: "but don't you _dare_ try and convince me he didn't suffer on my behalf because _I know differently,_ I was _there_. And any moment during all that he could've exercised that free will you permit him and said 'ENOUGH, damn it! Enough. All this, the pain, the grief, the annoyance and humiliation—" he waved his arms in a passionate pantomime of rejection, "it's... it's all just _too__much'_ and he could've quit. Or taken my soul and whistled his merry way back to the Pit with a full tum and a smile on his face, _but_ _he_ _did_ _not_. He _never once _abandonedme_—" _

Here Ciel was interrupted by Sebastian's discreet cough— the one he used to stop his little master from speaking an error or in some other way wandering off in the wrong direction. The boy glanced back and saw the look on the demon's face, a crooked, apologetic smile, and he remembered.

"And that's another thing: Sebastian is never one to lie, as you can see, even when the truth is not to his credit. He reminds me he _did_ leave me once, when he suspected either I or our agreement had been tampered with... but _even_ _then_ he merely withdrew a short distance to observe. He didn't abandon me entirely, nor did he force me to pay up as he had every right to for services already rendered! If that is not true loyalty personified, I should be pleased to hear your definition — it must be truly epic— and then I should like to see a living example of it, because if you require loyalty greater than his, I propose no one could live up to it." The boy glared challengingly around him where he assumed the owners of the voices were, giving them time to digest what he'd said, and refute it if they could.

"Bocchan, remember their book declares that 'He alone is loyal' so they will none of them consider themselves to reflect that quality well enough to hold themselves up as an exam—"

"You have not been given leave to speak, devil!" Another voice thundered out of the blinding white."And those words have no place in your mouth!"

"Will you silence him when he makes your own argument for you?! How prejudiced _are_ you lot anyway? I submit where prejudice exists there can _be_ no justice!" The boy thundered angrily. Then turned to his demon and said "Thank you Sebastian, for reminding me, but I was really thinking of a living exemplar, not the One. It is also said He deals with loyal ones in loyalty though, so I was hoping... though of course loyalty to _Him_ was what was meant. My point was the rarity of finding someone who demonstrates the quality as well as you do."

"You are too kind to me, little one,"

The demon murmured without raising his head. Not a single sound was heard following their brief exchange.

"I'm sure Sebastian didn't expect me to be the stubborn, annoying brat I was, any more than I realised what a slippery bastard he was going to be when he wanted to wiggle out of some order, but we learned to cope with each others' weaknesses the same as any human partnership must if they're to succeed in the long run, but the point is we stayed loyal to our agreement and to one another. We _needed_ each other, so we learned to appreciate each others' good points. We adapted and we _coped_. I'm not saying he didn't sometimes think about voiding the pact, but hell, so did I, and anyway, thinking isn't the same as _seriously_ _planning or_ _doing_."

The boy turned and smiled at the crouching figure of his demon, and the fond display of warmth was startling to all who beheld it, especially as they had interrupted the demon in the act of killing him to feed himself but there was no doubt the boy returned the same affection the devil felt for the boy.

"Are you finished?" the Voice from the unbearable White asked, its tone indecipherable..

"Very nearly. If you lot are not fallen, like Ash, then you're still perfect. We humans are not, nor are the Fallen like Sebastian. Why hold him to a higher standard than the one you apply to me? Are we not essentially walking in each others' shoes in this life? Though admittedly mine are not stilettos." The boy grinned as he caught the demon's eye. The demon could not help a tiny smirk.

The audience looked at each other questioningly. Though the boy could not see them, the group was full of puzzled, thoughtful faces.

"I make no comment on what deeds he might have done that made him one of the Fallen in the first place. That is none of my affair. I only plead that you stay out of _our_ business. I pressed him into service for a mile and he's run me a marathon. He has contended according to the rules and _earned_ this soul fair and square, and there is _no justice_ in you taking it from him after the things he's been through! If I had TWO souls I'd give _both_ to him and still not consider him properly paid— that is how far beyond mere requirement Sebastian Michaelis has gone in the name of our mutual pact.

"He was forthcoming and honest as regards the price for his services, he explained in detail what it would mean for me as well as the fact I had a choice in the matter. I had already suffered the pain of death. It would have been easy to let go on that stone altar but I had something I needed to accomplish. I was willing to return and suffer death a second time to get it done. No one else offered.

It was a fair trade. I still think it so."

"Had you endured the situation there were things you could've learned." The Voice suggested.

"I _did_ endure it! Right to the bitterest of bitter ends— that of a sharp blade right through my heart! What I learned was this creature whom I named Sebastian was moved by a lot of hunger and a little pity to aid me for what I deemed a reasonable price. If it is his nature to be false and betraying—and I have no doubt it is for he _is_ a demon—then he _fought_ _that_ _nature tooth and nail_-or in his case I suppose it would be 'fang and claw'-and served me faithfully. Did a damned good job of controlling it for my benefit right up to this day! You made him perfect once, yeah?, Well he has not forgot it. He _did_ you _credit_ while in my service! Ask anyone who knew us: no servant ever excelled at his work like the Phantomhive butler and I_ will not stand here idly and listen to you malign him when he does not deserve it!_

"A fiery little devil's advocate, isn't he?" One behind the demon said to the One sitting behind the desk.

And then the White winked away. Ciel heard a faint "Master!" and then knew no more.


End file.
